New Reasons, Resources Supporting Early Peanut Introduction

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It’s hard to overstate the burden of food allergies. Managing a food allergy can cost a family an additional $4,184 to $7,261 a year per child on food, healthcare, and related expenses.^1,2 Many with food allergies also struggle with anxiety at meal and snack time, face social pressures, and find it challenging to buy affordable and nutrient-dense foods to eat.

At the same time, it’s also hard to overstate the potential advantages of introducing peanut and other foods early. Peanut allergy is one of the few conditions for which evidence shows dietary intervention has clear preventive benefits.³ Current guidelines encourage feeding peanut foods as early as 4 to 6 months, depending on existing risk factors such as severe eczema and history of an egg allergy.⁴

Over the past two decades, America’s peanut farmers have contributed more than $36 million to peanut allergy research, education, and outreach through the National Peanut Board. Since 2017, the board has worked with food allergy experts, advocacy groups, and others to ensure you and others who care for infants have the information and resources needed to make early introduction the standard of care. Here, with recent updates, are a few resources with valuable information for you and families in your practice:

PreventPeanutAllergies.org provides videos, testimonials, tips, and downloadable materials. Check out the “Background and Provider Resources” section for links to the most important, impactful studies behind current recommendations.
- Take advantage of a free online course developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) called “Peanut Allergy Prevention Through Early Introduction,” available for credit for physicians and others who work with new parents.
- A new video showcases conversations between a family doctor and other clinicians and parents with infants approaching the 4-month mark. It can give you and those in your practice insight into what’s on parents’ minds and how to overcome objections preventing them from acting.
familydoctor.org offers families trusted advice from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Articles provide information to patients about peanut allergies and prevention with topics such as Eczema and Atopic Dermatitis, Anaphylaxis, Food Allergies, and Growing Up Healthy: Importance of Starting Good Nutrition Early.

REFERENCES

Gupta R, Holdford D, Bilaver L, et al. The economic impact of childhood food allergy in the United States. JAMA Pediatr. 2013:167(11):1026-1031.
Greenhawt M, Abrams EM, Chalil JM, et al. The impact of allergy specialty care on health care utilization among peanut allergy children in the United States. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2022:10(12):3276-3283.
Du Toit G, Roberts G, Sayre PH, et al. Randomized trial of peanut consumption in infants at risk for peanut allergy. N Engl J Med. 2015; 372(9):803-813.
Retrieved from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/sites/default/files/addendum-peanut-allergy-prevention-guidelines.pdf

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